Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The past 6 months in review

Hey!! It has been almost a year since the last time I posted . . . and what a truly crazy year it has been. We headed back to the states last May and were there for 9 month. We all had mixed emotions about the time there, it was difficult and yet refreshing at the same time, and yes, that is possible! :) We have been back here in Malaysia since the 31st of January and it has been an adventure only He could see us through . . . I will do a little photo tour of the last 6 months here.

These uploaded a little out of order, but I will just explain with a caption what each one is all about.

The end of May we moved . . . to a condominium, for many reasons, but mainly for a smaller more manageable place . . . and one of the biggest bonuses is that it has a pool! You can find me and the kids getting exercise here nearly daily while daddy gets work or school done.

Here are few photos of our new place . . . I love the little window into our cute little kitchen!

We went to the Philippines in March for a dear friends wedding, and had the extra blessing of a Jackson family reunion!!

Papa and Grandma with all their grandkiddos!

This is a picture of our living room at our new apartment.

Our sweet Gabby girl turned 10!!

Zoe was the flower girl at the wedding I wrote about above . . . this is her and the awesome groom Joseph!

We were stoked to get back to Malaysia to enjoy our bubble tea again!

It has been a seriously tiring 6 months with Andy going to school, running Andy's BBQ, moving to a new house, homeschooling and everything else we fit into a day . . . I loved this sight, when I looked over and saw Andy passed out sleeping . . . so glad for the blessing of random moments of rest!

For Eli's 8th birthday we bought the kids turtles . . . the are in love with Reef, Coral, and Yoda!

Ramadan came to an end this past Sunday and the first day of Raya (celebrating the end of the fasting month) was yesterday . . . we enjoyed going to many of our friends open houses!

This was actually one of the first pictures we took when we got back . . . Eli finally got his fish balls! If any of you talked to this boy when he has stateside, this is one of the things he misses the most when we are not over on this side of the world.

The kiddos again with their turtles.

Eli turned 8!!!

We had not been on a family vacation, just us, since Eli was 18 months old . . . we thought it was time we took some time away to relax for a few days and enjoy one another, God, and His creation. Here is Eli with a friend he met while were there on Tioman Island. The boy was stoked!

A smile that melts me every time!

Our other two gems.

Having way too much fun enjoying God's blessings!

The water was so beautiful . . . and the snorkeling was simply breathtaking!

Here is the view from our new place . . . we are actually living in the same apartment building that we were in from 2006-2008 when we first moved here . . . . we just live 3 floors higher.

Here is Gabby celebrating turning 10 with some of her buddies.

We love the pool at the condo . . . such a blessing . . . for exercise, cool downs on crazy hot days, and some really great family time.

Here is Gabby, Eli, and Zoe baking together one of the last days that we were at our old house.

Well, that is a brief rundown of the past 6 months . . . I need to take some pictures of all our Andy's BBQ happenings . . . because big things are happening!! Thanks for checking out our blog. I want to be better about posting here and taking time to keep you updated on the goings on of our family. Love to you all!